Try using a different tape, some tapes are what you call "wet" meaning they have a lubricant inside them and some cameras don't like them. Try to use Maxell Brand tapes I have used the for over 4 years and never had a problem

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I had the same problem with my camcorder just awhile ago. This can reflect a low battery. Try plugging in the camcorder for a couple of hours without using it. Then try recording or playing back the tape with it plugged in. Unplug it and check again. If this does not work you may have to replace the tape head.

You may want to check the record lockout safety switch located on the tape. This button can get moved by accident and the camera will refuse to record on that tape. Also, be sure the camera is in "video" mode, not "photo" mode. Some of Canons camcorders have a digital still camera mode which stops the camcorder from functioning because the photos are being recorded to a memory card and not your tape, please check this swithc as well.
Good luck.
Joe Weibel
customelectronics.org

You can record video with audio onto the Memory Card. Follow the instructions below.
Recording moving pictures onto a MEMORY CARD
1. Insert a Memory Card into the slot on the camcorder.
2. Set the mode switch to MEMORY CARD position.
3. Set the power switch to CAMERA mode.
4. Press the START/STOP button, the images are recorded on the MEMORY CARD in MPEG4.
* You can record 10 ~ 20 seconds continuously.
* You can record a still image on the Memory Card by pressing the Photo button instead of the START/STOP button.
5. Press the START/STOP button to stop the recording.
Notes:
* Moving images that you recorded are saved in *.asf file format on the Memory Card.
* The moving picture images on a Memory Card are smaller size and lower definition than those on a Tape.
* The sound is recorded in mono.
* The following functions cannot be operated in M.REC Mode. - DIS (Digital Image Stabilizer), Digital Zoom, Fade, Program AE, Digital Special Effect, Slow Shutter.
* Don't insert or eject a tape during Memory card recording as it may record noise.
* Don't eject the Memory Card during recording as it may break the data on the Memory Card or the Memory Card itself.